History
There is so much material on the history of Donegal Presbyterian Church and below is just a sampling of information about our historic Church. If you have a specific question about the history of the church, its grounds, or membership over our 300-year history, please contact our Historical Committee at donegal_historian@donegalpc.org.
watch: a brief history of Donegal
This video, commissioned by the Donegal Society, tells the history of Donegal Presbyterian Church through the words and memories of some of our most knowledgeable Donegal Historians including former Donegal Pastor Rev. Tom McKinnon and members Mary Karnes, Joan Betty, and David Martin. Our speakers share how Donegal Presbyterian Church came to be, the surrounding grounds, and pivotal moments in the church’s history including the Witness Tree event.
Historical resources
- An Authentic History of Donegal Presbyterian Church, published by J. L. Ziegler, M.D. (1902)
- Donegal Church Cemetery Index of Burials, last updated 9/23/20
- Early Donegal Church Short Biographies
Known Pastors and Supplies who have served Donegal
Rev. David Evans | Supply | 1720 |
Rev. George Gillespie and Rev. Robert Cross | Supplies | 1721-1722 |
Rev. Alexander Hutcheson and Rev. Daniel McGill | Supplies | 1723 |
Rev. Samuel Boyd | Supply | 1725-1727 |
Rev. James Anderson | Pastor | 1727-1740 |
Rev. Mr. Lyon | Pastor-Elect | 1741 |
Rev. Hamilton Bell | Pastor | 1742-1744 |
Supplies | No record | 1744-1748 |
Rev. Joseph Tate | Pastor | 1748-1774 |
Supplies | No record | 1774-1776 |
Rev. Colin McFarquhar | Pastor | 1776-1806 |
Rev. William Kerr | Pastor | 1807-1821 |
Rev. Orson Douglass | Pastor | 1822-1836 |
Rev. T. Marshall Boggs | Pastor | 1837-1850 |
Rev. James Linn Rogers | Pastor | 1851-1856 |
Supplies | No record | 1856-1859 |
Rev. John Joseph Lane | Pastor | 1859-1868 |
Rev. John Edgar | Pastor | 1869-1870 |
Rev. James Campbell and others | Supplies | 1870-1872 |
Rev. William B. Browne | Stated Supply | 1872-1880 |
Rev. Cyrus B. Whitcomb | Pastor | 1881-1882 |
Rev. Robert Gamble | Pastor | 1883-1886 |
Rev. Edward A. Snook | Pastor | 1887-1889 |
Rev. David Conway | Pastor | 1890-1899 |
Rev. Richard Downs | Pastor | 1899-1904 |
Rev. Kensey J. Stewart, D.D. | Pastor | 1904-1908 |
Rev. Frank G. Bossert | Pastor | 1909-1918 |
Rev. Richard S. Quigley | Pastor | 1918-1920 |
Rev. James M. Fisher | Pastor | 1921-1926 |
Rev. C. Benjamin Segelken, D.D. | Pastor | 1926-1942 |
Rev. John David Tate | Pastor | 1944-1946 |
Rev. Thomas Allen McGregor | Pastor | 1947-1950 |
Rev. Harlan C. Durfee | Pastor | 1951-1957 |
Rev. Richard Allen Todd | Pastor | 1958-1964 |
Rev. Harry Austin Freebairn | Pastor | 1965-1968 |
Rev. Herbert E. Moyer | Stated Supply | 1968-1973 |
Rev. Robert Clinton Murphy | Pastor | 1973-1977 |
Rev. Norman M. Dunsmore | Stated Supply | 1977-1978 |
Rev. Victor L. Baer, D.D. | Pastor | 1978-1988 |
Rev. Charles A. Schroeder and Rev. Agnes Kuentzel | Stated Supplies | 1988-1989 |
Rev. Donald Francis Black | Pastor | 1989-1992 |
Rev. Randolph Bandy | Stated Supply | 1992-1994 |
Rev. Thomas J. McKinnon, Jr. | Pastor | 1994-2015 |
Rev. Donald Rising | Temporary Pastor | 2015-2016 |
Rev. Matthew D. Randolph | Pastor | 2016- |
*Source: Donegal Presbyterians; A Scots-Irish Congregation in Pennsylvania, by Richard K. MacMaster, 1995.